Narsarsuaq

Narsarsuaq exists because of an airfield: the Americans built Bluie West One here in 1941 as a staging post for aircraft crossing to Europe, choosing a site with a long straight fjord approach, and the runway was the main gateway to south Greenland until April 2026, when scheduled flights moved to the new airport at Qaqortoq and Narsarsuaq was downgraded to a heliport. A few dozen people live here. A museum covers the base and the region, and the Flower Valley walk and the ice cap viewpoint above the settlement are the main excursions.

History

Narsarsuaq lies within the Norse Eastern Settlement, and Brattahlíð, the farm Erik the Red established in 985, stood on the opposite bank of Tunulliarfik Fjord at today's Qassiarsuk. In 1941 the United States built an air base here, Bluie West One; it closed in 1958 but reopened the next year as Narsarsuaq Airport after the loss of the ship Hans Hedtoft with all its crew off Cape Farewell, and on 16 April 2026 scheduled fixed-wing flights moved to the new Qaqortoq Airport, leaving Narsarsuaq a heliport (Wikipedia, Narsarsuaq).

What to look for

• The wartime airfield - the 1941 American base that was the region's gateway until 2026.
• The museum - the collection on the base and south Greenland.
• The Flower Valley - the walk up the valley behind the settlement.
• The ice cap viewpoint - the climb to a view over the inland ice.

When to go

June to September is the season. Since April 2026 access is by helicopter or boat rather than by scheduled aeroplane, and both are weather dependent.

Good to know

It was a transit point rather than a destination and there is little in it, less still now that the scheduled flights have gone. Weather delays are frequent and can last days. Accommodation is limited and expensive.

Nearby

Qassiarsuk is across the fjord, and Narsaq is southwest.

Key facts